"His rulings advanced the cause of equality," Harris said. "His legacy will have a lasting impact on Americans for generations."

Harris is not the only presidential candidate to speak at NAACP events. Sens. Cory Booker and Elizabeth Warren and former Vice President Joe Biden have all come to Detroit to speak. With all eyes on Michigan for the 2020 election, people are wondering if the NAACP was endorsing Harris.

"We don't do that," said the Rev. Wendell Anthony, NAACP Detroit president. "It doesn't hurt to come to Detroit on the way to the campaign trail. Things happen to people who come through here."

The NAACP said it's going after voter suppression and intimidation, practices which largely affect minority groups.

"We are concerned about what's happening in our country," Anthony said. "The stakes are too great for anybody to sit this out."